The Centre for Internet and Society
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Call drops: Dealing with the menace or just shifting goal posts?
https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/india-tv-news-june-26-2016-call-drops
<b>It is nothing short of an irony that the world’s second largest mobile user market that boasts of being the world’s fastest growing economy is plagued by poor infrastructure and overloaded networks to an extent that many callers are cut off even before they can finish a sentence. The fault in India’s much-acclaimed telecom revolution is a questioning, frequent phenomenon called “call drops”. There have been several signature campaigns and media pressure demanding that the government and telecom companies get their heads together to fix this raging demon of a problem. However, all they have been treated with is lip service and nothing more.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article was <a class="external-link" href="http://www.indiatvnews.com/business/india-call-drop-and-its-possible-solutions-337037">published by India TV News</a> on June 29, 2016</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">So, on one hand we have Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad claiming that the call drop problem is improving as telecom companies are installing towers, and on the other is TRAI that shows reports that operators like Aircel, Vodafone and Idea are using call drop masking technology incorrectly to fudge the data on call drops. Not long ago, we had Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself take up the issue and we saw a flurry of allegations and counter allegations flying between the government and the telecom companies on where the fault actually lies.<br /><br />While the government claimed it had freed enough spectrum to fix network issues and blamed the companies for not investing enough in the infrastructure, the telcos hit back at the government saying they were facing regulatory hurdles in setting up of towers because of environmental issues posed by regulation. In all, we kept going in circles and the change promised remained as elusive as its perception.<br /><br />Reality is that for cell phone users in India, call drop continues as a common phenomenon and figures released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) attest to this claim. According to TRAI, the figures have doubled in the last one year and the worst affected cell has more than 3% TCH drop (traffic channel call drop) rate, which is four times higher than the permitted limit. Quality of Service Regulations has allowed service providers a 2 per cent allowance of call drops on the basis of averaging call drops per month. <br /><br />TRAI has recently conducted Audit and assessment of Quality of Service being provided by service providers through independent agencies for Cellular Mobile Telephone Service, Basic Service and Broadband Services in many states. In Ahmedabad all the operators have failed to meet the call drop rate benchmark of less that 2% expect Airtel 2G. Also in Mumbai most of the operators have not met the less that 2% call drop benchmark except Airtel 2G and 3G and Vodafone 2G.<br /><br />Many other states have gone through this drive test and have failed.<br /><br />This begs us to put up a serious question in the interest of the more than 103.518 cr users who shell out money for pathetic services - Is the problem actually being resolved or are we, the consumers, being taken for a royal ride?<br /><br />Before we set out to give you a complete idea on the state of affairs and where we stand in terms of actually working towards fixing this problem, a look at some basics first to put things in context.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Telecom.jpg" alt="Telecom" class="image-inline" title="Telecom" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>What is call drop?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A call drop technically signifies the service provider’s incapability to maintain a call, either incoming or outgoing, once it has been properly established. In India, call drops are a performance indicator for the country’s telecom networks. In many cities, mobile users have to rush from one room to another or drive around neighborhoods to find better signals or better voice quality.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Call drops now figure among the top customer issues with telcos in several Indian cities. There is very little transparency on call drop data but it can be said that most companies have multiple sites where the call drop incidence is much above the set 2 percent limit. New Delhi has been particularly hit after city authorities cracked down and sealed unlicensed mobile towers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The problem had increased so much that India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the industry regulator, had specified that telecom service providers need to compensate users for dropped calls. The regulator said that the consumers will be paid Re.1 per call up to 3 dropped calls per day, only to be turned down by the Supreme Court, rendering the TRAI decision null and void.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Telecom companies had cried foul over the directive, firstly by saying that the regulator had no authority to levy such penalty and secondly, by saying that it wasn't possible to segregate the reasons for call drops.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">SC gave a 99-page judgment and said that the regulation appears to be meant only to penalise telcos. The judgment highlighted various flaws in the ruling by the Delhi high court which upheld TRAIs regulation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It further upheld the 2% exemption extended to service providers with regard to call drops and said the regulation would have penalized them despite it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“A penalty that is imposed ‘without any reason’ either as to the number of call drops made being three, and only to the calling consumer, ‘far from balancing the interest of consumers and service providers’, is manifestly arbitrary, not being based on any factual data or reason,” the court said.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>A ‘towering’ menace</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Towers act as boosters that help radio waves travel better, and are a necessary part of the telecom architecture in any country. There are approximately 5,50,000 towers in India, and industry associations think another 1,00,000 are needed. The lower radio bands need less towers to travel longer distances, so when telecom companies offer services like 3G or 4G, they have to be at higher frequencies (2,100 MHz or 2,300 MHz instead of 900 MHz), which need more tower support.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Call drops occur due to several reasons.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Patna have less towers than needed. Civic authorities across the country have shut down a total of around 10,000 towers and an additional 12,000 towers cannot be used due to various reasons.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Telecom companies are reluctant to share towers. This is because they are fixed investments by subsidiaries of telecom companies. Permission to erect a tower is given by the municipal body, but no uniform standards or procedures exist here.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The setting up of boosters on buildings remains a task, and permission has to be taken on a case-by-case basis. Things could improve if telecom connectivity were seen as being similar to water and power supply, and developers were to apply for a uniform set of permissions.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">If we take the recent scenario the State-run telecom operator BSNL is said to expand its network in Chhattisgarh by installing 2,000 new mobile towers in the next two years, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, stepping forward to strengthen mobile connectivity in the state.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Telecom Secretary J S Deepak recently said that penal powers cannot be “one and final solution” for call drop and the telecom firms have committed Rs 12,000 cr to install new towers to check this problem.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“Government believes in the telecom sector. The quality of service must improve and industry has responsibility. They have committed 60,000 towers. Each tower cost about Rs 20 lakh which is around Rs 12,000 crore. The industry will make this investment in next three months,” he said recently.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Most of the mobile service providers have frequently failed in quarterly sample call drop tests conducted by Trai but operators have contested the results saying that they comply with benchmark set by the regulator.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">On this, the operators raised issues such as regulatory hurdles by local authorities and opposition by residents associations to installation of mobile towers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“All top CEOs have said they will set up war rooms to address this issue. We need to work with them to facilitate installation of mobile towers,” Deepak said.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“We are coordinating with minister (Ravi Shankar Prasad) to launch portal on EMF (radiation) next month. This will give data of about 4.3 lakh mobile towers. People can go online and check if a tower is emitting radiation within limit or not so that citizens are aware that it not an issue,” he added.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">So after the launch of portal on EMF (radiation) next month, the fight on hurdles might be resolved, which will then raise questions on the operators if the call drop issue still persists.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Do companies benefit from call drops?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">All the benefits depend on the tariff plan. If it’s measured in seconds, the telecom company gains nothing — no matter how many times the connection cut, billing resumes at the same rate. But if it is measured in minutes, or if the plan contains features such as a certain number of free calls in every billing cycle, call drops is a nightmare for the consumers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Telecom firms claim that 95 per cent of tariff plans involves billing in seconds. Since call drops are the most common in overcrowded areas, interruptions tend to shorten the call and, to that extent, reduce the average revenue per user per minute. Since companies measure their performance on the basis of call drops too, it is risky for anyone to intentionally create conditions for drops, thus porting to another operator.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) in a report said that the telecom industry is facing a lot of challenges which are leading to call drops:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>State bodies initiate actions against the towers without any prior notices like disconnecting electricity supplies, sealing the premises and even dismantling of tower sites.</li>
<li>Restrictions imposed by state governments and municipalities for wireless sites for erecting cell-sites in non-commercial areas, sealing of the cell-sites by municipal authorities.</li>
<li>Issues pertaining to Right of Way (RoW) – due to no approval, operators are not even in a position to put up sites. Frequent fiber cuts due to infrastructure projects are recurring phenomena in almost all circles.</li>
<li>Site outages on account of long power failures and delay in restoration of power supply by electricity boards.</li>
<li>Owner/legal issues, which is an important factor, because if the operator does not obtain the permission to set up the cell site, calls in the area would be dropped.</li>
<li>Interference due to illegal wide band radio and coverage restrictions arising out of cross border spectrum interference.</li>
<li>Shortage of spectrum amid surging data traffic growth and the lack of availability of a sufficient quantum of globally harmonized spectrum in contiguous form is the biggest impediment to the deployment of wireless technologies in the access network and hence for better quality of service resulting in increased call drops with the increase in data traffic.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Government’s role and what it can do</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The government says that call drops can be addressed to a large extent through better management of spectrum, something that will only provide partial relief. The occurrence of call drops is higher at busy areas, typically city centres. This means there is an unequal spread of traffic across the spectrum.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Regardless of these technical roadblocks, there is actually quite a lot that the government can do.</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>General allowing of shared spectrum so that the same bandwidth is homogenously distributed among towers that are in a row.</li>
<li>Government rules prohibit spectrum swapping, but to tackle the issue a policy should be amended for the same.</li>
<li>Unused spectrum bands, which are either not used or have been missed due to the traffic in the bandwidth should be reformed and put to efficient use.</li>
<li>Every state should be encouraged to use uniform procedures on towers and policies regarding this should be amended. </li>
<li>Set up rules for companies to improve on their services. Besides penalty which has been dropped government should keep a check on telcos to work properly.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Pranesh Prakash, Policy Director at the Centre for Internet and Society said that Telecom companies in India have scarcity in terms of spectrum, which needs to be rationalised by allowing spectrum policy in India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">He also added that the government’s decision of not allowing spectrum supply doesn’t really make sense as India needs the policy. Also, the radiations emitted by the spectrum which are harming people should be scientifically taken care of.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>What are the benchmarks for call drop that should be followed by the telcos?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">TRAI has laid down the quality of service benchmarks for call drop rate to be less than 2 percent. The 2 percent call drop benchmark means that not more than 2 percent calls made from a network should automatically disconnected in a telecom circle.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Recently, the call drop test was conducted in Bhopal and Mumbai. TRAI found that most operators in Mumbai, except Airtel 2G/3G and Vodafone 2G, are not meeting the under 2 per cent call drop rate benchmark. In the drive tests conducted during May 10 to 13 in Mumbai, the call drop rates of No 1 carrier, Bharti Airtel's 2G and 3G networks, stood at 1.49 per cent and 1.94 per cent, while Vodafone-2G's was 1.68 per cent.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Other than Airtel and Vodafone in 2G, all operators failed to meet the Call Drop Rate benchmark in Bhopal. TRAI in a report said that Idea, Reliance and BSNL all have Call Drop Rates in the range of 10 percent or above. These are exceptionally high and clearly indicate urgent need for improvement in order to deliver reasonable levels of service.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>What steps should be taken to improve the problem?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A lot has to be done to settle the issue. The mobile towers do not have an unlimited capacity for handling the current network load. So telecom companies need to increase the towers to tackle the load. This is being followed as telecom operators have decided to invest Rs.12,000 crore for installation of 60,000 more towers over the next three months, while the BSNL will install 21,000 BTS towers a report said.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A report by TRAI said that the problems like removal of towers from certain areas by authorities needs to be addressed. Also, with the increase in the usage of 3G networks, the growth rate of mobile towers supporting 2G networks has reduced, which also needs to be addressed.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Recently, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed that the call drop problem was improving with various telecom companies are installing about 1.24 lakh towers to mitigate the issue. In a report he said, “Things are improving....private telecom operators have installed one lakh towers, while the State-owned BSNL has put in place 24,000 Base Transceiver Station (BTS) towers across the country in the past one year to improve the call drop problem.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>The roadmap</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Surveys are being conducted and a lot of efforts are being made by the operators and also TRAI to solve the call drop issue. However, in a country with the world’s second-largest mobile user market it is tough to solve the problem completely but not impossible. That, in theory, is the situation. On ground though, things don’t appear to be running in tune with tall claims by the government or the telecom companies. If the situation is improving, as the government claims, change needs to be visible, which is apparently not the case. Also, if the investments are being made to the tune of what the telecom companies are claiming, that would translate into solving the issue.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The moot point here is that if the number of towers is the root cause behind the millions of consumers facing this absolute nightmare of an issue, can this “go-getter” government not come to any arrangement so as to solve the issue? Perhaps, the government, which displayed exemplary enthusiasm in gaining a seat in the coveted Nuclear Suppliers Group, needs to translate some of that energy into getting to a solution for an issue plaguing a large and growing population of its billion plus populace. It would only serve some good. No pun intended.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/india-tv-news-june-26-2016-call-drops'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/india-tv-news-june-26-2016-call-drops</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaTelecomTRAI2016-07-01T16:45:45ZNews ItemCable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995
https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/cable-television-networks-regulation-act
<b>In this module, Snehashish examines the purpose of the legislation, the persons affected by it, the administrative bodies which come under the Act, the penalties (including the consequences in case of non-compliance), appeal process and the debates surrounding the legislation.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Before the introduction of cable television in India, broadcasting was solely under the control of the State. The Government of India was caught unprepared with the emergence of cable networks and broadcasting through satellites in the early 1990s. The Government was not able to put a check on transmission and broadcast of television through foreign satellites.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The necessity of procuring licence for operating cable networks was first mentioned by the Rajasthan High Court in the case of <i>Shiv Cable TV System v. State of Rajasthan</i>.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a> In this case, the district magistrate ordered a ban on cable networks as they were being operated without licence. Subsequently the order of the district magistrate was challenged in the Rajasthan High Court on the ground that the order was in violation of fundamental right to freedom trade and profession. The high court held that there was no violation of the right to freedom of trade because cable networks fall within the definition of “wireless telegraph apparatus” under the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act and therefore it necessary to have licence to operate such network. This highlighted the need for having a framework for the regulation of cable networks in India which led to the enactment of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Object of the Act</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The object of the Act was to regulate the ‘haphazard mushrooming of cable television networks’. Due to the lack of licensing mechanism for cable operators; this resulted in large number of cable operators, broadcasting programmes without any regulation. The Act aimed at regulating content and operation of cable networks. This was due to the availability of signals from foreign television networks via satellite communication. The access to foreign television networks was considered to be a “cultural invasion” as these channels portrayed western culture. It also wanted to lay down the "responsibilities and obligations in respect of the quality of service both technically as well content wise, use of materials protected under the copyright law, exhibition of uncertified films, and protection of subscribers from anti-national broadcasts from sources inimical to national interests".</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There were three amendments made to the Act.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Act is divided into five chapters. The first chapter discusses the scope and extent of the Act and meaning of the terms used in the Act. The second chapter deals with "Regulation of Cable Television Network". The third chapter relates to "Seizure and Confiscation of certain Equipments". The fourth chapter focuses on "Offences and Penalties". The fifth chapter covers other miscellaneous provisions.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Regulation of Cable Television Network</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The regulation of cable television network under the Act is ensured through a two step process. In order to keep track of cable operators, it has mandate a compulsory registration for cable operators. It also lays down provisions to regulate content to be broadcasted by the cable operator.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Registration of Cable Operators</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In order to regulate cable television networks, it was made mandatory for cable television network operators to be registered.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn2" name="fr2">[2]</a> Procedure for registration is laid down is section 5 of the Act. Any person who is operating or desires to operate a cable network may apply for registration to the registering authority.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">An application for registration of cable operator has to be made under Form 1 along with the payment of fees of Rs.50 to the head post master within whose territorial jurisdiction the office of cable operator is situated. The registration certificate which is issued by the registering authority after inspection is valid for 12 months and can be renewed.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The registering authority may also refuse the registration of a cable operator. The reason for such refusal has to be recorded in writing and communicated to the applicant.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Section 4A was inserted into the Act by the TRAI (Amendment) Act, 2002. Section 4A deals with "transmission of programmes through addressable system". [Refer to section on “2003- Amendment to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 (Amendment Act)"].</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Content Regulation</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Central Government, in public interest can put an obligation on every cable operator to transmit or retransmit a programme<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn3" name="fr3">[3]</a> of any pay channel through addressable system. In public interest the central government may also ‘specify one or more free-to-air channels to be included in the package of channels’ (basic service tier). The Central Government may also, in public interest specify the maximum amount which can be charged by the operator to the subscriber for receiving the programmes transmitted in the basic service tier provided by such cable operators. The cable operators have to publicize to subscribers the subscription rates of each pay channel at regular intervals.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Sections 5 and 6 of the Act deal with advertisement code and programme code. All cable services should be in conformity with the codes. Under section 7, cable operators have to maintain a register as to the content transmitted or retransmitted. All cable operators shall compulsorily re-transmit Doordarshan channels.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Section 9 of the Act mandates ‘use of standard equipment in cable television network’. It is the duty of the cable operator to make sure that the cable television networks do not interfere with authorized telecommunication systems.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Offences and Penalties</h3>
<p>Section 11 gives power to the authorized government authority to seize any cable operator’s equipment, if such officer has reason to believe that the cable operator is using the equipment without proper registration.</p>
<p>Sections 16, 17 and 18 of the Act deal with offences under the Act. They lay down punishments for any act which is in contravention with the provisions of the Act.</p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Section</td>
<td>Ingredients of the Offence</td>
<td>Penalty/ Fine</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16</td>
<td>Anyone who is held to be in violation of the provisions of this Act <br /></td>
<td style="text-align: justify; ">
<p>For the first offence: Imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years or with fine which may extend to Rs. 1000 or with both.</p>
<p>For every subsequent offence: Imprisonment for a term which may extend to 5 years and with fine which may extend to Rs. 5000.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Section 17 deals with when an offence under this Act is committed by a company; in this case the person in charge will be liable.</p>
<p>The Act also gives power to the authorized officer<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn4" name="fr4">[4]</a> to prohibit the transmission of certain programmes in public interest under section 19 of the Act.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Under section 20 of the Act, the Central Government in public interest may prohibit the operation cable television network. The Central Government may make such an order in the interest of the (i) sovereignty and integrity of India; or (ii) security of India; or (iii) friendly relations of India with any foreign state; or (iv) public order, decency or morality.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">2003- Amendment to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 (Amendment Act)</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Numerous complaints were received by the Government stating that there has been unreasonable price hike in cable television by the cable operators. Moreover, the cable operator were not paying appropriate revenue by concealing there income and under-reporting their income. The cable operators defended themselves by stating that the broadcasting industry is unregulated and they are forced to increase the price for proving cable television services as the broadcasting companies can increase the charges as per their wish. In order to address these problems, the government appointed a specialized task force.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Special task force in its study noted that the consumers do not have the choice to select the premium channels they wanted to watch rather it is provided to them in a bundle irrespective of the fact they want to subscribe to such channel or not. In order to give choice to the consumer it recommended the introduction of conditional access systems (CAS). This would require the consumers to set up set-top boxes which will allow the consumers to view all the free to air channel and he can choose to watch any of the premier channels for a charge.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This recommendation of the task force was introduced through the 2003 amendment to the Act. The main objective of the Amendment Act was to address to the frequent and arbitrary increase in cable charges. This was introduced section 4A which allowed operators to transmit pay channels through an addressable system<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn5" name="fr5">[5]</a>apart from basic package of free-to-air channels.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There was a lot controversy with respect to implementation of the CAS. In order to explain the controversy, it is important to understand the structure of the cable market. The cable market is divided into three categories. Broadcasters, who are at the top of the pyramid, the Multi-System Operators are in the middle and the local cable operators are at the bottom of the pyramid.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The 2003 Amendment introduced to CAS was welcomed by the broadcasters and the MSOs. But the consumer and the local cable service providers were unhappy with this decision because the consumers feared that they have to pay special rates for pay channels whereas the local operators were outraged because they believed that CAS would affect their revenue. Due to the adverse reaction from the consumers and the local cable operator, the government delayed the implementation of CAS indefinitely. This finally culminated in a case<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn6" name="fr6">[6]</a> before the Delhi High Court.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Delhi High Court decided that implementation of CAS cannot be delayed. Subsequently to this, the government announced in 2004 that Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will be handling the problems regarding CAS and make recommendations on the same. TRAI recommended that CAS should be denotified and it can be re-introduced later when there is adequate regulation to properly implement it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The government on the recommendation of TRAI withdrew the implementation of CAS. However, this decision was faced with a new challenge<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn7" name="fr7">[7]</a>and this time the single judge bench of the Delhi High Court held that the Government does not have any ground to suspend the CAS and it has disregarded the previous decision of the Delhi High Court in <i>Jay Polychem</i> case. Finally, the government re-introduced CAS but after issuing rules as to its working and implementation.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr1" name="fn1">1</a>]. AIR 1993 Raj. 1997<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr2" name="fn2">2</a>]. Section 4 of the Act: "No person shall operate a cable television network unless he is registered a cable operator under this Act..."<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr3" name="fn3">3</a>]. Section 2(g): “programme means any television broadcast and includes –<br />i exhibition of films, features, dramas, advertisements and serials through video cassette recorders or video cassette player;<br />ii any audio or visual or audio-visual live performance or presentation and the expression “programming service” shall be construed accordingly<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr4" name="fn4">4</a>]. Section 2(a): authorized officer means within his local limit of jurisdiction<br />i a District Magistrate, or<br />ii a Sub Divisional Magistrate, or<br />iii a Commissioner of Police, and includes any other officer notified in the Official Gazette, by the Central Government or the State Government, to an authorized officer for such local limits of jurisdiction as may be determined by the Government.<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr5" name="fn5">5</a>]. Section 4-A, Explanation (a), Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995; Addressable system is defined as, "an electronic device or more than one electronic devices put in an integrated system through which signals of a cable television network can be sent in encrypted or unencrypted form, which can be decoded by the device or devices at the premises of the subscriber within the limits of authorisation made, on the choice and request of such subscriber, by the cable operator to the subscriber."<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr6" name="fn6">6</a>]. Jay Polychem v. Union of India, (2004) IV AD 249 (Del)<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr7" name="fn7">7</a>]. Hathaway Cable Datacom v. Union of India, 128 (2006) DLT 180</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/cable-television-networks-regulation-act'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/cable-television-networks-regulation-act</a>
</p>
No publishersnehashishTelecom2013-03-15T06:10:46ZPageCable Television
https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/cable-tv
<b>Srividya Vaidyanathan brings you the history and evolution of cable television in India, how it works, cable television penetration in India, digitization rule and the end consumer in India.</b>
<h3><b>What is Cable TV?</b></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Cable TV (CATV) stands for Cable Television, i.e., a method of providing consumers with access to television programs via coaxial cables or through optical fiber cable located in the subscribers’ premises.</p>
<h3>Evolution/History</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There were four television terrestrial networks in the United States in the 1950s. One had to have a clear line of sight to the transmitting towers to be able to watch TV. Those living in hilly regions could not watch the TV programs because they could not have a clear "line of sight" over the hills. In 1948, people living in the hilly regions of Pennsylvania solved their problems by putting antennas on hills and running cables to their houses.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a> Using Terrestrial TV only a few TV channels could be broadcast whereas in the case of cable TV it is possible to downlink a good number to satellite TV channels, add local TV content, get TV contents from other sources, form bouquets of the TV channels and transmit it to TV homes using coaxial cables.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">How does it work?</h3>
<p>The figure below gives a high level flow diagram explaining the working of a CATV.</p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><img class="image-inline" src="../knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/resolveuid/47164ec191b24b048ea0a944a6ef3a12" /></p>
<p>Figure 1: CATV Architecture – The image above is a pictorial representation of the working of a Cable TV.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">TV Network companies beam their TV shows via satellites. Cable operators (or <i>multi-system operators</i> (<i>MSO</i>)) install head-ends (control centres for cable network) for aggregation of TV channels received from different satellites. They can mix this with content received from other sources such as broadband connections, local channels, etc., to form a bouquet of channels and then distribute to homes using coaxial cable (hence, the name cable TV) network installed either underground or hung over utility poles. To access the cable television services, one needs to subscribe to a cable company which will then connect a simple coaxial cable from the wall outlet to the television sets. One has to then program his/her cable ready television sets to receive the cable channels. In case one does not have a cable ready television then one needs to install a device called a converter box.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In CATV, the signals are sent through cables and not through the air, thus doing away with "line of sight" requirement and enabling much better quality of reception. The television signals that come via cable are not disturbed by trees, buildings, or other hindrances.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn2" name="fr2">[2]</a></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Other cable based services</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Coaxial cables are capable of carrying signals in both directions (to and from the customer’s end) and also the ability to carry large amounts of data. Cable television signals use only a portion of the bandwidth available over coaxial lines. This leaves plenty of space available for other digital services such as cable, internet and cable telephony. Broadband cable internet is made possible by having a cable modem at the customer's end and a cable termination system at the cable operator's end. Cable internet works very well when the distance between the cable modem and the cable termination system is not more than 160 km.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Cable TV penetration in India</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The TAM Annual Universe Update – 2012 indicates that India has over 148 million households (out of 231 million) with TVs, of which over 126 million have access to CATV or Satellite TV, including 42 million households which are digital subscribers. In Urban India, 88 per cent of all households have a TV and over 70 per cent of all households have access to satellite, cable or DTH services. Households with TVs have been growing between 8 to 10 per cent, while growth in satellite/cable homes exceeded 9 per cent and DTH subscribers grew 63 per cent. CATV households could be higher because of unaccounted for or informal/unregistered cable networks that aren't taken into consideration during mainstream surveys. India now has over 500 TV channels covering all the main languages spoken in the nation.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn3" name="fr3">[3]</a> Digicable Networks (India), Hathway Cable and Data Com, InusInd Media and Communications (InCable), and DEN Networks are some of the notable cable service providers in India.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Cable TV digitization rule and the end consumer in India</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">An ordinance has been passed by the Government of India making digitization of cable services compulsory. According to this amendment made in the section 9 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Ordinance, 1995, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will make Digital Addressable System (set-top box) mandatory. As part of the first phase, October 31, 2012 is the sunset date for the four metro cities in India to adopt set-top boxes. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has clarified that there would be no further extensions on the sunset date. This measure will empower consumers to an increased number of channels and high quality viewing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Consumers will be able to enjoy digital picture and sound quality, enhanced services such as high definition and video on demand content. The Bill will prevent local cable operators from bypassing the digital set-top box. TV broadcasters will be able to monitor their subscriber base and control the flow of revenues. This will render obsolete the role of the "middleman". Advertisers too will be able to create targeted campaigns owing to higher knowledge or analytics about the viewership patterns of users.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn4" name="fr4">[4]</a></p>
<p>The two key terms in the cable digitization mandate are <b>digitization</b> and <b>addressability</b>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Digitization will solve the problem of capacity constraint and will enable introduction of value added services (viz., pay per view, time shifted video, personal video recorder, near video on demand, radio services, broadband, etc.) in the offerings to the customer, which would enhance the range of choice for the customer and improve the financial viability of operations for the service provider. Addressability will ensure choice of channels to the consumer and transparency in business transactions and will build stakeholder confidence in the sector. It will also effectively address the issue of piracy.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn5" name="fr5">[5]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The key here is — the end consumer will need to buy a set-top box from his cable service provider to continue watching TV. This will cost anywhere between Rs. 700 and Rs. 2000, and will be offered with the option of an all up-front payment or part payment and part EMIs. Without this box, the customer will not be able to watch television, not even free to air channels (FTA). This could have an impact on the mode of TV access in India. Some may not upgrade their cable television connection, while the majority may simply shift to a DTH service, since both incur set-top box costs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span style="text-decoration: underline;">TRAI recommendation</span>: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has mandated that all multi-service operators (MSOs) carry a minimum of 200 channels from the beginning. This number must be increased to 500 channels by 2013. Subscribers will have to be offered 100 free-to-air channels as a basic pack — Basic Service Tier, if they wish to subscribe to that, at a minimum of Rs. 100, carrying all 18 Doordarshan channels and five channels of each genre — news, sports, infotainment, music, lifestyle, movies and general entertainment. TRAI recommends the approximate cost of a basic set-top box to be Rs.1500.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Suggested Reading</b></p>
<ul>
<li>IPTV</li>
<li>Mobile TV</li>
<li>DTH</li>
<li>Terrestrial TV</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Glossary</b></p>
<h3>Co-axial Cable</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing a geometric axis. Coaxial cable is used as a transmission line for radio frequency signals. Its applications include feed lines connecting radio transmitters and receivers with their antennas, computer network (internet) connections, and distributing cable television signals.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn6" name="fr6">[6]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><img class="image-inline" src="../knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/resolveuid/31ecbf5f17a14f6dbb62151bd64e13fd" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center; ">Figure 2 - The above is a cross-sectional view of Coaxial cable</p>
<h3><b>Optical Fiber</b></h3>
<p>An optical fiber (or optical fibre) is a flexible, transparent fiber, made of glass (silica) or plastic, slightly thicker than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe" to transmit light between the two ends of the fibre.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn7" name="fr7">[7]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><img class="image-inline" src="../knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/resolveuid/89089e36ddb6405c997fa7d8e115c6a3" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center; ">Figure 3 - The above picture shows a bunch of optical fibres</p>
<hr />
<p>[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr1" name="fn1">1</a>]. From How Cable Television Works (<a class="external-link" href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/cable-tv.htm">http://www.howstuffworks.com/cable-tv.htm</a>)<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr2" name="fn2">2</a>]. From How does cable television work? (<a class="external-link" href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_cable_television_work">http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_cable_television_work</a>)<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr3" name="fn3">3</a>]. From TAM Update (<a class="external-link" href="http://www.tamindia.com/tamindia/Images/Overview_TV_Universe_Update-2012.pdf">http://www.tamindia.com/tamindia/Images/Overview_TV_Universe_Update-2012.pdf</a>)<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr4" name="fn4">4</a>]. From Cable TV Digitization Top 10 Facts (<a class="external-link" href="http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/cable-tv-digitisation-top-10-facts-204388">http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/cable-tv-digitisation-top-10-facts-204388</a>)<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr5" name="fn5">5</a>]. From TRAI Recommendations (<a class="external-link" href="http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/finalreom5agust.pdf">http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/finalreom5agust.pdf</a>)<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr6" name="fn6">6</a>]. From Coaxial Cable (<a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable</a>).<br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr7" name="fn7">7</a>]. From Optical Fiber (<a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber</a>)</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/cable-tv'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/cable-tv</a>
</p>
No publishersrividyaTelecom2013-03-15T08:33:08ZPageBuilding Up vs Tearing Down
https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-op-ed-shyam-ponappa-july-3-2013-building-up-vs-tearing-down
<b>We have to find ways to deal with corruption without subverting our developmental aims.</b>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This article by Shyam Ponappa originally <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/building-up-vs-tearing-down-113070301014_1.html">published in the Business Standard</a> on July 3, 2013 was also <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2013/07/building-up-vs-tearing-down.html">mirrored in Organizing India Blogspot</a></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>Many economies around the world are in an unenviable state. India too has lost another chance at breaking out of its self-limiting mould of haphazard divergence and fractious irresponsibility. These constraints are exemplified by the ruling party's overindulgence in populist and crony handouts, such as ill-considered Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or</span><span> food security </span></span><span>initiatives, or the latest gas pricing </span><span>decision, apparently without any sense of responsibility for the detrimental consequences, including for cash flows. The sole criterion is to somehow stay on top. Alas, they are matched by the unmitigated confrontationism of a flailing Opposition. As a consequence, we remain a land of unrealised potential, our energies focused on hindering or tearing down instead of building up. Lack of credible enforcement is hampering development, and the two are becoming mutually exclusive.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>To a considerable extent, the troubles worldwide, including our own, appear to have resulted from excesses of some sort, whether of dishonesty or destructive activism. Is a sense of decline because of the economic downturn, or are there genuine negativities in our times? Is there an inevitable slide to dishonesty, as Plato concluded - reaffirmed in more recent works across cultures, such </span></span><span><span>as <i><b>Corruption </b></i></span><span><i><b>Cycles</b></i> by Cristina Bicchieri and John Duffy?</span></span><span> </span><a href="#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>The distribution of personal attributes in any large set of people ensures that there will always be some who will try to cheat, even in the elevated domain of scientific research. A consideration of two instances, one global and the other local, may provide some indicators.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Misconduct in Research<br /></b><span><span>Consider the retraction of scientific papers. The title of a report published in October 2012 says it all: "Misconduct Accounts for the Majority of Retracted Scientific </span></span><span><span>Publications".</span></span><span> </span> <a href="#fn2" name="fr2">[2]</a> First, there has been a rising trend in the 2,047 retractions since the first in 1977 (there's a puzzling caveat about retractable offences not being necessarily new). Second, the rise since 1977 has been almost tenfold. Third, over two-thirds were attributable to misconduct, including intentional falsification or fabrication of data. Almost half of all retractions (43 per cent) were for fraud, suspected or actual; duplicate publications were 14 per cent, and plagiarism almost 10 per cent. The report concludes that for articles for which the reason for retraction is known, three-quarters were for actual or suspected misconduct, while errors accounted for only a quarter (Chart 1).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Chart 1</p>
<table class="invisible">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/Chart.png/@@images/96c650f4-609d-40ce-90b1-beac93cc7bb5.png" alt="Chart" class="image-inline" title="Chart" /></th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Geographic Spread</b><br />Of the retracted articles from 56 countries, three-quarters of fraud or suspected fraud were from the United States, Germany, Japan, and China. India's share in plagiarism and duplicate publication is relatively high; its share in fraud, also relatively high, is lower than in the other two (Chart 2).<br /><br /><span>Chart 2</span></p>
<table class="invisible">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/copy_of_Chart.png/@@images/22cf2f3d-fe3e-4586-9c84-8ffb586ae977.png" alt="Chart" class="image-inline" title="Chart" /></th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">India's research papers in science, social science, and economics/business for the period 2000 to 2010 and their share in world citations were as follows:</p>
<table class="invisible">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/copy2_of_Chart.png/@@images/98986154-a806-42a3-b055-c662f272f4c2.png" alt="Chart" class="image-inline" title="Chart" /></th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Science Watch website provides details for each field. To quote from it: "For the period 2000-2010, India ranked 11th in output, 17th in citations received, and 34th in citations per paper (among nations publishing 50,000 or more papers during the period) across the science and social sciences fields surveyed in Essential Science Indicators." By way of comparison, the US published nearly 3,050,000 papers (11 times as many) from 2001 to August 2011, while China was second with about 8,37,000 (three times as many). <a href="#fn3" name="fr3">[3]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">These data show that the loss of innocence is global and rising, but that we have a disproportionate share: 11th in output, but sixth in fraud, fifth in plagiarism and sixth in duplicate publication.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Improved Indian Highways<br /></b><span><span>At the local level, press reports seemed to indicate that our highways programme was faring badly. A few, like the Greater Noida Expressway near Delhi, the Yamuna Expressway to Agra, and the Jaipur-Agra highway appeared to be exceptions. Last month, however, our 3,000-kilometre drive from Delhi to Coorg averaged 600 km a day on mostly good roads. Some stretches in Northern Karnataka were breathtaking, and the feeder roads alongside were particularly impressive. Something is really happening in road construction (see <a href="http://www.nhai.org/allphase.htm">http://www.nhai.org/allphase.htm</a>, on a well-presented website).</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>This demonstrates the possibility of achievement despite evident deficiencies and alleged corruption, even though much remains to be done to make the road system genuinely world-class.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Less Cheating, More Fair Play<br /></b>So how can we tackle corruption while pursuing development? The trick is to devise processes and institutions that favour equitable outcomes, or less cheating and more fair play rather than the opposite, without obstructive policing. If the processes have incentives and penalties that are credibly administered, perhaps we'll get the desired results. One essential requirement is of universal acceptance, and inculcation of these processes as an obligatory aspect of citizenship. Impartial and systematic enforcement has to be the norm - perhaps the hardest step for us - without recourse to the imposition of parallel bureaucracies of elaborate policing mechanisms, street demonstrations, or handouts of free electricity, food, TVs, computers and the like. Credible enforcement could allow us the opportunity to focus on building pleasant, productive communities with decent living standards with systems against corruption, preventing the expending of discretionary effort on such matters at the cost of development.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">But the prerequisite is to get those in power to allow the trick. If we could learn to apply standard operating procedures to incentives and punishments, the fight against corruption and progress in development need not be mutually exclusive.</p>
<hr />
<p>[<a href="#fr1" name="fn1">1</a>]. <a href="http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/faculty/gurven/anth169/bicchieriduffy1997.pdf">http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/faculty/gurven/anth169/bicchieriduffy1997.pdf</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">[<a href="#fr2" name="fn2">2</a>]. <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/109/42/17028.full.pdf">http://www.pnas.org/content/109/42/17028.full.pdf</a><br /> (Ferric C Fang, R Grant Steen, and Arturo Casadevall; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, US, September 2012)</p>
<p>[<a href="#fr3" name="fn3">3</a>]. <a href="http://sciencewatch.com/articles/top-20-countries-all-fields-2001-august-31-2011">http://sciencewatch.com/articles/top-20-countries-all-fields-2001-august-31-2011</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-op-ed-shyam-ponappa-july-3-2013-building-up-vs-tearing-down'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-op-ed-shyam-ponappa-july-3-2013-building-up-vs-tearing-down</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2013-08-02T07:06:30ZBlog EntryBroadband Wireless Access – Standards
https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/broadband-wireless-access
<b>In this unit, Jürgen Kock tells us about the broadband wireless access standards, why do we need technical standards, who defines BWA standards, WiMAX standards and long term evolution.</b>
<h3><b>Why do we need technical standards?</b></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Standards define key aspects of a technology. Thanks to standardization consumers can for example buy any kind of AA battery and be sure, that it’ll work in most, if not all, devices that specify the use of this kind of batteries. While batteries follow global standards, power plugs are only defined on a national basis. Travelers know about this inconvenience.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In wireless communication, standards ensure interoperability between user devices and the radio network of different vendors. Frequency bands, modulation techniques, power levels and encryption are just some of the aspects covered by standards.</p>
<h3><b>Who defines BWA standards?</b></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>IMT-2000</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The ITU-R (International Telecommunication Union – Radiocommunication Sector) started in the 1980s to define the requirements for a 3rd generation of mobile communication systems. As an agency of the UN (United Nations) the ITU combines the effort of governments and the telecommunication industries for a worldwide supported standardization. Finally, in the year 2000 the ITU approved the technical specifications for the 3rd generation of mobile networks under the name "IMT-2000" (International Mobile Telecommunications-2000). One goal of IMT-2000 is to provide seamless delivery of services. The minimum requirements for data speed were defined at 2Mbps for stationary or walking users and 348 kbpsfor fast moving users in vehicles.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>IMT Advanced</b></p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p>The ITU has coined the term IMT Advanced to identify mobile systems whose capabilities go beyond those of IMT 2000. In order to meet this new challenge, 3GPPs Organizational Partners have agreed to widen 3GPP’s scope to include the development of systems beyond 3G.</p>
<p>Some of the key features of IMT-Advanced will be:</p>
<ul>
<li>Worldwide functionality & roaming</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Compatibility of services</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Interworking with other radio access systems</li>
</ul>
<p>Enhanced peak data rates to support advanced services and applications (100 Mbit/s for high and 1 Gbit/s for low mobility) Source: <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/qYLvQj">http://bit.ly/qYLvQj</a></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Two competing technologies are the basis for Broadband Wireless Access. The evolution of mobile or cellular networks called Long Term Evolution (LTE)lies under the responsibility of the ITU and the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Program). We’ll start our discussion with the competing technology called WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>WiMAX Standards<br /></b>WiMAX is based on the IEEE suite of standards 802.16.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a> The initial standard was released in 2001 and is named 802.16-2001 accordingly. The goal was to define a wireless broadband technology for fixed users, with a range of up to 50 km and data rates that can compete with wireline DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). For achieving coverage of such wide distances, this initial standard required a line-of-sight between sender and receiver, which was soon seen as a limitation of the technology.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In 2004 the standard was updated, but still covered only fixed users. 802.16d-2004 is therefore referred to as the current standard for <b>Fixed WiMAX</b>. The frequency range 2 – 11 GHz’s was added to the previously defined range of 10 – 66 GHz’s. The new range allowed for static connections without a line of sight. Static means, that there is no <span>handover</span> mechanism defined, when a user moves out of the range of his cell.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><br />With 802.16e-2005 the standards where extended to cover <b>Mobile WiMAX</b>. Handover and roaming support was added for slow moving users. The frequency bands used for mobile users are 2.3 and 2.5 GHz. Of course, service providers can also offer fixed access in those frequencies.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The latest release of the WiMAX standards 802.16m-2011 defines an advanced air interface with data rates of up 1 gigabit. This fulfills the formal requirements of 4G networks as defined by the ITU.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>LTE – Long Term Evolution<br /></b>LTE is defined by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership), a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations. It provides detailed technical specifications to cover all aspects of a cellular communication network within the frameworks IMT-2000 and IMT Advanced of the ITU.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The standardization is published in so called Releases.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn2" name="fr2">[2]</a> Release 1 to 7 covered 2G and 3G networks including UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><img class="image-inline" src="../knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/resolveuid/c874e9dd98da4b0ba7beb5d628df86e1/@@images/image/preview" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Source: Anritsu, Understanding LTE (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/NDBlKf">http://bit.ly/NDBlKf</a>)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Release 8, published in 2008, marked the first LTE standard. The goal of 3GPP was to define an evolutionary upgrade of cellular networks, providing higher data rates and improved quality of service. At the same time the demand for cost reduction and a low complexity of the network architecture was addressed. Unlike the WiMAX standard, LTE standardization encompasses the whole network architecture including the radio network, core network and service architecture.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Here is an overview of the key requirements and features of the different 3GPP LTE releases:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Mobility<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li>Optimized for low mobile speed from 0 to 15 km/h.</li>
<li>Higher mobile speed between 15 and 120 km/h should be supported with high performance.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Mobility across the cellular network shall be maintained at speeds from 120 km/h to 350 km/h (or evenup to 500 km/h depending on the frequency band).</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Coverage<br /></b></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify; ">Throughout, spectrum efficiency and mobility targets above should be met for 5 km cells, and with aslight degradation for 30 km cells. </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>Release 8 - 2008</b><br />This was the first LTE release. The release contains 36 technical specifications.</p>
<ol>
<li>Evolved radio access<br />
<ul>
<li>New air interface (not backward compatible)</li>
<li>High spectral efficiency<br />— OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) in Downlink, Robust against multipath interference (reduces path loss) <br />— Single-Carrier FDMA in Uplink </li>
<li>Variable bandwidth: 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz</li>
<li>Support of Multiple Antenna technology MIMO</li>
<li><span>FDD</span> and <span>TDD</span> within a single radio access technology</li>
<li>Simple Architecture</li>
<li>Very low latency: Short setup time and short transfer delay</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Evolved Packet Core<br />
<ul>
<li>Reduced complexityof the core network</li>
<li>All IP network SAE (System Architecture Evolution) </li>
<li>Support of Self-Organizing Network (SON) operation</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<p><img class="image-inline" src="../knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/resolveuid/e20ef4784efe4cdfb79fa179410b228e/@@images/image/preview" /><br />Source: LTE-Release 8 User Equipment Categories, <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/9R0DIm">http://bit.ly/9R0DIm</a></p>
<p><b>Release 9 - 2009</b><br />Release 9 brings enhancements and Improvements for</p>
<ul>
<li>System Architecture Evolution </li>
<li>WiMAX and LTE/UMTS Interoperability</li>
<li>Location services</li>
<li>Emergency services</li>
<li>Broadcast services</li>
<li>Voice Over LTE (VoLTE)</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Release 10 – 2011 - LTE-Advanced</b></p>
<ul>
<li>First release of LTE Advanced</li>
<li>Backwards compatible with release 8 (LTE).</li>
<li>Fulfilling IMT Advanced 4G requirements (For example 1 Gbps peak downlink data rate)</li>
<li>Multi-Cell HSDPA with 4 carriers</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Release 11 – planned in 2012 Q3</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Advanced IP Interconnection of Services</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Service layer interconnection between national operators/carriers as well as third party application providers</li>
</ul>
<p><b>Peak Data Rates</b></p>
<p><b><img class="image-inline" src="../knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/resolveuid/16f354281534441283a1fa66e20adf9e" /></b></p>
<h3>Sources – Further Readings:</h3>
<ol>
<li>ITU Overview for IMT-2000 (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/NdSM8E">http://bit.ly/NdSM8E</a>)</li>
<li>ITU Entry Point for IMT Advanced (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/f5FqtH">http://bit.ly/f5FqtH</a>)</li>
<li>Homepage of 3GPP (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/Cai9O">http://bit.ly/Cai9O</a>)</li>
<li>3GPP Entry Point forLTE (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/Cai9O">http://bit.ly/Cai9O</a>)</li>
<li>3GPP Entry Point for LTE Advanced (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/Cai9O">http://bit.ly/Cai9O</a>)</li>
<li>Wikipedia article about 3GPP (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/dugu8O">http://bit.ly/dugu8O</a>)</li>
<li>3GPP technical paper UTRA-UTRAN Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 3GPP System Architecture Evolution (SAE) including high level requirements (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/NhbfeE">http://bit.ly/NhbfeE</a>)</li>
<li>E-Learning on LTE and other Telecommunication Fundamentals (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/NdTd2A">http://bit.ly/NdTd2A</a>)</li>
<li>LTE Introduction (<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/rxQDzE">http://bit.ly/rxQDzE</a>)</li>
</ol>
<hr />
<p>[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr1" name="fn1">1</a>].To download 802.16 standards: <a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/SgpUeV">http://bit.ly/SgpUeV</a><br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr2" name="fn2">2</a>].To downloadLTE and LTE Advanced standards:<a class="external-link" href="http://bit.ly/LCR9em">http://bit.ly/LCR9em</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/broadband-wireless-access'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/broadband-wireless-access</a>
</p>
No publisherJürgen KockTelecom2013-03-15T09:21:59ZPageBroadband Reforms for Local Manufacturing
https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-june-5-business-standard-and-organizing-india-blogspot-broadband-reforms-for-local-manufacturing
<b>Broadband in India needs reforms for local manufacturing and for infrastructure expansion and utilisation.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article was published in the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/broadband-reforms-for-local-manufacturing-117053101806_1.html">Business Standard</a> on May 31, 2017 and in <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2017/06/broadband-reforms-for-local.html">Organizing India Blogspot</a> on June 5, 2017.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">India’s markets are at the heart of what attracts investment and economic activity, with mobile phones and broadband services comprising a significant share. In exploring their magnitude and supply chains, an obvious need emerges for policies and incentives for local manufacturing of components and handsets to boost domestic supply and create employment. Another avenue for deriving local benefits is extending the coverage of digital platforms, expanding the market through policies and incentives facilitating broadband infrastructure. Policy support can help both to extend networks using fixed and wireless technologies, as well as to increase capacity utilisation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Reforms affecting both supply and demand are needed to fully and equitably provide ubiquitous coverage and exploit digital platforms for public welfare. Such reforms would mitigate the lower revenue potential of rural populations. Enabling steps could include allowing active sharing of spectrum and networks, providing more unlicensed spectrum, financial incentives such as tax credits and spectrum charge rebates for rural infrastructure, and standardised right-of-way charges.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">India’s Mobile Handset Market</h3>
<p class="callout">"A billion smartphones will be sold in India in [the] next five years."</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">This estimate is from a report by IIM-Bangalore and CounterPoint Researchers.<a href="#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a> The report notes that India became the second-largest global smartphone market in terms of number of users in early 2016, and still has enormous growth potential even as demand for smartphones elsewhere is waning. In the next five years, almost a billion smartphones and half a billion feature phones will require components worth $80 billion (Rs 5.2 lakh crore). These will have to be imported if they are not produced locally. The report estimates that in 2016, about 50 local units assembled over 180 million mobile phones valued at $9 billion (about Rs 59,000 crore), about 70 per cent of the $13 billion sold. However, the local value addition was only $650 million (Rs 4,225 crore, or 7.2 per cent). This underscores an urgent need for policy changes, considering that emerging manufacturers in these sectors such as Brazil and Vietnam have value added of nearly 20 per cent and over 30 per cent, respectively, while champions such as South Korea and Taiwan add above 50 per cent, and China has 70 per cent local value added.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In early 2016, India’s domestic smartphones had a 40 per cent market share, but by the quarter ending March 2017, Chinese brands dominated, with a share of over 51 per cent, while local brands dropped to under 14 per cent.<a href="#fn2" name="fr2">[2]</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">According to the IIM-B/CounterPoint Researchers report, Indian manufacturers import most of their components, and there are few incentives for R&D or to attract component suppliers to form local ecosystems. Further, the existing incentives will become ineffective once the goods and services tax (GST) is introduced, because they will all be subsumed under GST. Accordingly, the Broadband India Forum in association with EY have suggested (a) refunding the GST to manufacturers for handsets and (b) extending this policy to components could provide an appropriate manufacturing incentive.<a href="#fn3" name="fr3">[3] </a>This needs to be done without delay.<a href="#fn4" name="fr4">[4] </a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The report also proposes a phased approach to maximise local value added, aiming for 30 per cent by 2020, and more thereafter. Early phases suggested are moving from assembling chargers and other such accessories to high-value components such as printed circuit boards, cameras and display units. The researchers suggest that chargers, batteries and cameras can in fact be manufactured locally, contributing to components valued at an estimated $15 billion by 2020. If these proposals are adopted and executed, it will reduce imports and create jobs, deriving local benefits from India’s market opportunities. Moreover, it will help create an R&D capability in India for this sector, which can over time become a supplier to global markets.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The prerequisite for these improvements is policy reforms on matters such as duties on components (including the refund of GST) and incentives for suppliers to set up in India. The report also suggests that policies need to be framed for effectively funding institutions and corporations for research to build intellectual property and skilled professionals.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Extending Digital Infrastructure & Utilisation</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There is a parallel need for policies supporting the extension and coverage of digital platforms, of the sort achieved in migrating from up-front auction fees to revenue sharing with the New Telecom Policy in 1999 (NTP-99). These require convergent action within the government and its multifarious departments and agencies, or in some cases by coordination and resolution among stakeholders, i.e., in addition to the agencies of government, the judiciary, the operators and vendors of equipment, the press and media, and the public.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">There are some issues that relate to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) recommendations over the years that need decisions on implementation. An example is access to broadband services through cable networks. The government’s position on additional charges as a share of revenues conflicts with cable operators’ unwillingness to pay additional charges, and perhaps the cost of the devices for conversion. The effect of this deadlock is that the entire set of cable network users have to use another means for broadband connectivity. As this policy change will affect the competitive dynamics of wireless service providers, it is a candidate for coordinated, participative resolution. Some Trai recommendations may benefit from review, such as open access (like Wi-Fi) on 60 GHz.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Other examples are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Enabling additional bands of unused spectrum such as 60 GHz and 70/80 GHz for wireless gigabit links, and </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Enabling the sharing of entire networks, including the radio access network (and therefore spectrum) among operators.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The promise of digital platforms is immense, and both these streams of reforms need to be taken up and completed for India’s digital platforms and markets to deliver on their considerable potential.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">[<a href="#fr1" name="fn1">1</a>]. <span><span>“Mobile Phone Manufacturing: A Practical Phased Approach,” by Pathak, Chatterjee and Shah: <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2874689">https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2874689</a> <br /></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">[<a href="#fr2" name="fn2">2</a>]. <span><span><a href="http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prAP42557317">http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prAP42557317</a> <br /></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">[<a href="#fr3" name="fn3">3</a>]. <span><span><a href="http://www.communicationstoday.co.in/index.php/daily-news/6710-broadband-india-forum-with-ey-releases-the-research-paper-on-incentivizing-domestic-handset-manfacturing-under-gst">http://www.communicationstoday.co.in/index.php/daily-news/6710-broadband-india-forum-with-ey-releases-the-research-paper-on-incentivizing-domestic-handset-manfacturing-under-gst </a></span></span><span>Added after publication - June 6, 2017</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">[<a href="#fr4" name="fn4">4</a>]. For a detailed exposition of the GST question and why raising customs duties on imported equipment/components is not feasible because of the terms of the Information Technology Agreement 1997 under the WTO, see: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/incentivising-manufacturing-mobile-phones-india-parag-kar">https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/incentivising-manufacturing-mobile-phones-india-parag-kar</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-june-5-business-standard-and-organizing-india-blogspot-broadband-reforms-for-local-manufacturing'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-june-5-business-standard-and-organizing-india-blogspot-broadband-reforms-for-local-manufacturing</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2017-07-05T02:03:24ZBlog EntryBroadband Policy, 2004
https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/broadband-policy-2004
<b>The Broadband Policy, 2004 (“Policy”) was laid down by the Government of India in order to realize the potential of broadband services. It aimed at enhancing the quality of life by implementation of tele-education, tele-medicine, e-governance, entertainment and also to generate employment through high speed access to information and web-based communication. </b>
<p><b> </b></p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><b>Need for the Policy</b></h3>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">Prior to the implementation of the Policy, broadband penetration was significantly low as compared to the other Asian countries. At the time of the implementation of the Policy the penetration of broadband, internet and personal computers were at 0.02 per cent, 0.4 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively. There was not uniform standard for broadband speed and connectivity. Internet access was available at various speeds varying from 64 kilo bits per second to 128 kilo bits per second.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">Broadband Connectivity</h3>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">Under the Policy broadband connectivity is defined as:</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify; ">An always-on data connection that is able to support interactive services including Internet access and has the capability of the minimum download speed of 256 kilo bits per second (kbps) to an individual subscriber from the Point Of Presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband service where multiple such individual Broadband connections are aggregated and the subscriber is able to access these interactive services including the Internet through this POP. The interactive services will exclude any services for which a separate licence is specifically required, for example, real-time voice transmission, except to the extent that it is presently permitted under ISP licence with Internet Telephony.<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn1" name="fr1">[1]</a></p>
<p dir="ltr">The key characteristics of broadband connectivity are</p>
<ul>
<li>Always on data connection </li>
<li>Ability to support interactive services including internet access</li>
<li>Minimum download speed of 256 kilo bits per second</li>
<li>Does not include any services for which the internet service provider to procure separate licence such as real time voice transmission.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Targets of the Broadband Policy, 2004</h3>
<p>The Policy had the following targets:</p>
<table class="listing vertical">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Year Ending</td>
<td>Internet Subscribers</td>
<td>Broadband Subscribers</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2005</td>
<td>6 million</td>
<td>3 million</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2007</td>
<td>18 million</td>
<td>9 million</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2010<br /></td>
<td>40 million</td>
<td>20 million</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3>Technology Options for Broadband Services</h3>
<p>The Policy envisioned the following technology options for better access to internet and broadband</p>
<ul>
<li>Optical Fibre Technologies</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) on copper loop</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Cable TV network</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Satellite Media</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Terrestrial Wireless and</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Other Future Technologies </li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Policy emphasized on the implementation of broadband services through the copper loop. It also mentioned that Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) would aggressively use their already existing broadband infrastructure to provide broadband services. It also indicated that the private internet service provider will enter into commercial agreements with the MTNL and BSNL to utilize their infrastructure to provide internet services.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Cable networks reached more people than copper telephone connections and therefore, the Policy envisaged that the cable networks can be utilized to provide broadband connections. The Policy also mentioned its intention to use very small aperture terminals (VSAT) and direct-to-home (DTH) for increasing broadband penetration as such technologies can be implemented in remote areas.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Policy also mentioned that the Government had de-licensed 2.40-2.4835 GHz bands for low power indoor use (including Wi-Fi technologies based on the IEEE 802.11b and 802.11g standards).<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fn2" name="fr2">[2]</a></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Quality of Service</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Policy recognized that the qualities of service parameters were of great importance and it requested Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to prescribe quality of service parameters for broadband service.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Other Mandates of Policy</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The issues regarding cost of bandwidth for providing internet and broadband should be resolved Government and TRAI at the earliest.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The National Internet Exchange of India was set up by the Department of Information Technology to ensure that internet traffic originating from and destined for India should be routed within India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Role of Other Agencies: Growth of broadband and internet services is dependent upon personal computers and content and application available on the internet. Therefore, it is necessary that other departments such as State Electricity Boards and the Department of Information Technology and other relevant authorities should also contribute to spreading broadband services in the rural areas.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Fiscal Issues: The Policy gives a high priority to indigenous manufacture of broadband related equipments. The Government to should endeavour to, make available, broadband and associated equipments at a low price.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Policy aimed at providing broadband (minimum speed of 256 kbps) to 20 million subscribers. However, only 13 million subscribers have broadband connectivity as in May 2012.</p>
<hr />
<p>[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr1" name="fn1">1</a>].Broadband connectivity, available at <a class="external-link" href="http://www.dot.gov.in/ntp/broadbandpolicy2004.htm">http://www.dot.gov.in/ntp/broadbandpolicy2004.htm</a><br />[<a href="https://cis-india.org/telecom/knowledge-repository-on-internet-access/#fr2" name="fn2">2</a>]. Vikram Raghavan, Communications Laws in India (Legal Aspects of Telecom, Broadcasting and Cable Services), LexisNexis Butterworths, 2007, pp. 480-81</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/broadband-policy-2004'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/resources/broadband-policy-2004</a>
</p>
No publishersnehashishTelecom2013-03-15T05:47:53ZPageBroadband Internet needs attention: Sunil Abraham
https://cis-india.org/news/livemint-february-3-2014-sidin-vadukut-broadband-internet-needs-attention
<b>Telecom regulation is mostly a success, but wired and wireless broadband needs attention, says Centre for Internet and Society executive director. </b>
<hr />
<p>The article by Sidin Vadukut was<a class="external-link" href="http://www.livemint.com/Specials/L27xzdc6yribAId3qUXUHI/Broadband-Internet-needs-attention-Sunil-Abraham.html"> published in Livemint</a> on February 3, 2014. Sunil Abraham was interviewed.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>First of all from a policy perspective, how have priorities changed when it comes to technology in India from 2007 to now? Has it moved on from an issue of the infrastructure itself, to how this pipeline is used and managed?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Yes and no. Regarding carriage, telecom regulation has been mostly a success in terms of penetration and affordability, but wired and wireless broadband regulation still needs urgent attention for shared back haul, shared spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, quality of service, etc. We are making slow progress on privacy, security and cross-jurisdictional issues.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>In 2014, what do you think are the key public policy issues facing technology in India? What forces do you see colliding with each other?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Privacy and data protection: Here there is conflict with transparency and innovation. Also we have to optimize privacy with security. Free speech: here traditional norms collide with potential of new technologies and energy of digital natives. Intellectual property: here the challenge is how to spread dissatisfaction equally between innovators, entrepreneurs, consumers, state and the public.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>The Internet in India, and the many apps that ride on it, is pointed out as a disruptor on many accounts. From politics to social welfare to news and media. Is it too soon to see how Internet has changed Indian society? Or are we beginning to get a sense of this?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">I would channel <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Search/Link/Keyword/Evgeny%20Morozov">Evgeny Morozov</a> here: there is no such thing as the Internet. Especially in India, many of the so-called data users on mobile phones are trapped within walled gardens created by Google, Facebook and Twitter. In short, specific technologies have social consequences within specific sites. We have anecdotal evidence that the availability of OERs (open educational resources), MOOCs (massive open online courses) and shadow libraries have transformed Indian classrooms in the cities. But there are very few empirical studies establishing causation between the Internet and Indian social phenomena.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>When we say Internet in India, we really mean English language Internet in India. How substantial are the efforts to make the web more accessible to non-English speakers? What is holding this back?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The situation is absolutely depressing. For most languages there is a lot of work that remains to be done when it comes to input methods, fonts, rendering technology, spelling and grammar assistance, thesaurus, optical character recognition, text-to-voice, voice-to-text, machine translation, etc. We need large-scale government funding to create market incentives so that the Indian technology gap is bridged using open standards and technologies. We need government mandates to ensure that manufacturers produce some models of their products that comply with these standards.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><b>What two-three policy changes can truly make technology an agent of social change in India?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Device level patent pool and compulsory licence for mobile devices to ensure proliferation of devices at the both ends of the pyramid. We need to move from community radio (FM only) policy to a technology neutral (terrestrial TV, Wi-Fi, mobile technologies, ADSL, fibre, etc) community media policy.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/news/livemint-february-3-2014-sidin-vadukut-broadband-internet-needs-attention'>https://cis-india.org/news/livemint-february-3-2014-sidin-vadukut-broadband-internet-needs-attention</a>
</p>
No publisherpraskrishnaTelecom2014-02-17T08:59:24ZNews ItemBroad-basing Broadband
https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/broad-basing-broadband
<b>Education and training through the Internet need Commonwealth Games-like crisis management, says Shyam Ponappa in an article on broadband for education and training published in the Business Standard on 7 October 2010.</b>
<p>The central government and the Delhi administration have shown they can engage in sheer execution to save face for the Commonwealth Games. Couldn’t our governments choose to make similar efforts to improve an aspect of infrastructure that is perhaps the most powerful means for enhancing our productive capacity and quality of life: broadband? One might ask: why broadband, and not energy, water/sanitation, or roads…? While all infrastructure is essential, broadband gives the quickest, biggest bang for the buck, because of its nature vis-à-vis energy, water or transportation and our regulatory environment and functional organisation (for instance, the complexity of addressing power supply). If we could increase mobile phone coverage to present levels by reducing costs and increasing availability, it should be possible to do so for personal computer (PC) also, to draw on the wealth of free educational and training material for our vast numbers.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, for such infrastructure, there is no triggering crisis like the threat of failure of the Commonwealth Games, and consequently, no face-saving or glam factors, like the arrival of foreign teams and visitors. This article makes a case for a Commonwealth Games-type crisis management for broadband through a collage of factors.</p>
<p>Consider these aspects of our demographics<strong>1</strong>:</p>
<ul><li>Nearly 460 million people are aged between 13 and 35 today.</li><li>Of these, 333 million are literate.</li><li>In 10 years from now, the countrywide average age will be 29, compared to 37 in the US and China, 45 in Europe, and 48 in Japan.</li><li>As many as 100 million Indians — the combined labour forces of Britain, France, Italy, and Spain — are projected to be added to our workforce by 2020, which is 25 per cent of the global workforce.<br /></li></ul>
<p>This indicates our productive potential. Its realisation would require education and training, efficient functioning, i.e. the matrix of enabling infrastructure, and organisation. If these needs remain unmet, the demographic opportunity can become the liability of an unproductive population, with attendant difficulties and social hazards.</p>
<p>We have many formal and informal institutions providing training and education. We add nearly 300,000 engineering graduates every year to our pool of 2 million engineers. India’s vocational training capacity is estimated at 3.1 million a year, whereas about 12.8 million people enter the workforce. However, the National Sample Survey (2004) found that only 2 per cent of the 15-29 age group had formal vocational training and another 8 per cent had non-formal vocational training. In the developed economies, the proportion of skilled workers is 60-80 per cent; Korea has 96 per cent skilled workers.<strong>2</strong></p>
<p>Five years ago, McKinsey reported that only a quarter of India’s engineers were employable in the IT industry. Recently, a survey showed this has reduced to 18 per cent.<strong>3</strong></p>
<p>Apart from training and education in specific disciplines, the processes that make for good work practices are: systems thinking, a scientific temper, and goal-oriented work practices to meet standards of quality and time. Then there are the attributes of playing team, while engaging in a hard-charging individual effort. All these skills and practices are necessary and can be learned and renewed over time.</p>
<p>How will our workforce of over 500 million, adding 12.8 million every year, have access to continuing education and training, information for civic amenities and facilities and easy, efficient access to commercial and public services? What about the prerequisites of schooling, vocational training and university education? To answer these questions, consider parallel developments in domains such as distance education, e-learning and smart applications. Here are glimpses of the transformation underway in university and secondary education, especially outside India:</p>
<ul><li>iTunes U has become one of the world’s largest educational catalogues for free educational material. After three years, there are over 300 million downloads. Over 800 universities have their websites at iTunes U, including many of the top universities from the US, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore and so on.</li><li>Khan Academy (<a class="external-link" href="http://www.khanacademy.org/">http://khanacademy.org</a>), a brilliant, free educational site by an ex-hedge fund analyst and manager, Salman Khan (Salman Khan of Silicon Valley, not Bollywood), covers mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology, with over 18 million page views in August (<a class="external-link" href="http://www.khanacademy.org/">http://khanacademy.org</a>). Started in late 2006, Khan is reportedly developing an open-ended set of material covering many subjects, and is a favourite among people like Bill Gates, and John and Ann Doerr (Fortune: <a class="external-link" href="http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/23/tecnology/sal_khan_academy.fortune/index.htm">http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/23/tecnology/sal_khan_academy.fortune/index.htm</a>). Of the 200,000 students who access this site every month, only 20,000 are from India.</li><li>There are many other educational sites from school level upwards, for instance, the Open Courseware Consortium (<a class="external-link" href="http://www.ocwconsortium.org/">http://www.ocwconsortium.org</a>) by MIT, with US members like the University of California (Berkeley), Michigan and so on. Many universities and schools have their own websites. There is the Wikiversity, with portals from pre-school through primary to tertiary education, non-formal education and research (see <a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Browse">http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Browse</a>).</li></ul>
<p>India, BCG estimates that Internet usage will increase from 7 per cent of the population in 2009 to 19 per cent in 2015 (237 million). PC penetration, which was just 4 per cent in 2009, is estimated at 17 per cent by 2015 (216 million). To quote BCG: “India has among the highest PC costs and lowest PC availability of all the BRIC countries (including Indonesia).” Mobile phone penetration, however, is 10 times higher, at 41 per cent. This appalling situation needs to be redressed.</p>
<h3>Inferences</h3>
<p>Hundreds of millions of Indians should use these websites and the Internet for radical transformation. This will require policies and practices aimed at providing:</p>
<ul><li>inexpensive access to broadband;</li><li>greater access to PCs and PC-equivalents as they evolve (e.g. Pranav Mistry’s SixthSense); and</li><li>systems and processes that encourage distance education, and discipline in all fields, with professionalism and excellence across all activities.<br /></li></ul>
<p>Regulations and tax regimes determine which activities are profitable, and to what extent. This is where the government and its policies come in. Could Internet users in India converge public opinion to rouse governments to address these needs, emulating the example of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit?</p>
<ol><li>
<p class="discreet">http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/114002/India/aroon-puries-welcome-address-at-youth-summit.html</p>
</li><li>
<p class="discreet">Employment Report, Ministry of Labour, July 1, 2010: <a class="external-link" href="http://labour.nic.in/Report_to_People.pdf">http://labour.nic.in/Report_to_People.pdf </a></p>
</li><li>
<p class="discreet">http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/engg-college-students-not-industry-ready-survey/388620/</p>
</li></ol>
Read the original article in the <a class="external-link" href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:V3cjHBmzlnYJ:www.business-standard.com/india/news/shyam-ponappa-broad-basing-broadband/410402/+broadband+for+education+and+training,+business+standard&hl=en&gl=in&strip=0">Business Standard</a>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/broad-basing-broadband'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/broad-basing-broadband</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2012-05-10T10:25:06ZBlog EntryBreakthroughs Needed For Digital India
https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-april-6-2016-shyam-ponappa-breakthroughs-needed-for-digital-india
<b>It's time the government accepts that current policies are not enough to bring about Digital India.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article originally published in the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/shyam-ponappa-breakthroughs-needed-for-digital-india-116040601241_1.html">Business Standard</a> on April 6, 2016 was also mirrored on <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2016/04/breakthroughs-needed-for-digital-india.html">Organizing India BlogSpot</a> on April 7, 2016.</p>
<hr style="text-align: justify; " />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">It helps to remind oneself of the scale of Digital India, its magnitude and sweep: to provide e-governance and other e-services everywhere, including 250,000 gram panchayats serving another 400,000 villages. That includes all the backbone and aggregation networks, and institutional processes to get there. The links in<a href="http://digitalindia.gov.in/" target="_blank">digitalindia.gov.in</a>, such as <a href="http://www.bbnl.nic.in/" target="_blank">http://www.bbnl.nic.in/</a>, illustrate what's involved - and because many users are from households, the demand is for even more extensive networks.<br /><br />The menu of services through Internet access is ambitious, and includes government services, health care, education, market information, financial services and so on. But it's the lack of basic access, of the "pipes" and "plumbing" for connectivity, that's the first, most difficult, yet essential step. Until this aspect is in place, getting results in areas such as efficient delivery of electricity, e-governance - including subsidies, education and skills, health care, manufacturing, and so on - is very much more difficult.<br /><br />These services make up a robust wishlist, although their commercial underpinnings have yet to be designed and spelt out. As regards delivery, significant policy developments were reported last week. The Telecom Commission approved the operation of virtual network operators, allowing for operators who don't own networks or spectrum. They also recommended lowering spectrum usage charges from five per cent to three per cent of Adjusted Gross Revenues, while the exception of one per cent for Broadband Wireless Access spectrum continues. The bad news was in the Budget for 2016: service tax of 14.5 per cent on spectrum acquisitions, including through auctions.<br /><br />But these are simply not enough. It's time the government accepts that Digital India is too distant, and they'd better formulate corrective measures. For example, even after 10 years with some success in setting up Common Services Centres (CSCs) in parts of the country, there doesn't seem to be a replicable template with sufficient momentum for ubiquitous connectivity. Worse, urban services remain constrained by too little spectrum that costs too much, with many impediments to augmenting capacity.<br /><br />Consider factors affecting execution and delivery.<br /><br />First, there's the telecommunications industry in its current beleaguered state. Its constituents have their backs to the wall for various reasons:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify; ">
<li>Low revenues and high costs.</li>
<li>Constrained access because of shortages - of networks; or of the means to build them, such as inexpensive rights-of-way, where laying fibre is feasible and viable; and where that isn't, shortage of inexpensive spectrum, and other cost-impediments such as local government charges for towers.</li>
<li>Below-par services for current demand.</li>
<li>Loads of debt, much of it incurred to pay for spectrum.</li>
<li>Banks with little appetite for further lending to this sector, and</li>
<li>Uncertain market sentiment.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify; "> </p>
<div style="text-align: justify; ">For local manufacturers, the competition from global vendors is formidable if not overwhelming, given their advantages of ready access to capital, tax breaks, state sponsorship, established products and markets, and relationships. Access to spectrum will enable development and testing of devices, which is very difficult under present circumstances, but local manufacturing also needs entire ecosystems.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify; "></div>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><br />For the government, there's an overriding imperative for revenue collection. The motivation is an unrelenting need for (legitimate) expenditure on infrastructure, governance, and basic welfare in a developing economy. This is compounded by execution on a massive scale that also involves changes in user behaviour, for instance, village institutions like CSCs that have yet to take root. Another level of complexity is because two-thirds of users are from non-urban areas requiring extensive wireless broadband, untested for rural delivery except for satellite television.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "> </p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">With the public and media suspicious of government and industry, resolving these aspects is more difficult because of their skepticism and opposition. There's a disinclination to evaluate policies objectively because of recent scams. It is increasingly obvious that plugging away at legacy plans with their failure rate won't do, and more effective ways must be framed to achieve connectivity. For solutions acceptable to the government, to service providers, and the public, essential criteria are transparency and fairness. Next, the approach must be practicable, yield reasonable government revenues, and have reasonable profit potential. All these elements are required for sustainable initiatives. Every step has to be thought through, with all government departments working together (another big ask) and with industry, from the basic strands: connective links, sustainable equipment at reasonable cost, and revenue streams (whether from user payments or partly from subsidies) for services and content to more than cover those costs.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-april-6-2016-shyam-ponappa-breakthroughs-needed-for-digital-india'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/business-standard-april-6-2016-shyam-ponappa-breakthroughs-needed-for-digital-india</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecomDigital India2016-05-04T02:34:19ZBlog EntryBreaking into the Closed Circle: Domestic High-Tech Manufacturing Needs Access To Markets
https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-august-1-2013-domestic-high-tech-manufacturing-needs-access-to-markets
<b>The deferral of India's preferential market access (PMA) policy for locally manufactured high-tech products indicates some lack of clarity and/or confusion in the government.</b>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article by Shyam Ponappa (originally <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/breaking-into-the-closed-circle-113073101234_1.html">published in the Business Standard</a> on July 31, 2013) was <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2013/08/domestic-high-tech-manufacturing-needs.html">cross-posted in Organizing India Blogspot </a>on August 1, 2013.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>There are compelling reasons for supporting domestic manufacturing capacity in India, and high-tech products deserve high priority. Examining the elements of the proposition for developing our high-tech manufacturing and the state of its capacity may help clarify where and how policies should be heading. If domestic electronics production does not increase significantly, India's electronics requirements will be choked by high imports in excess of even oil imports.</span></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">The Bogey of Protectionism</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>The aim of the </span><a class="storyTags" href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Pma+Policy" target="_blank">PMA policy</a><span> is to give technically qualified domestic </span><a class="storyTags" href="http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Manufacturers" target="_blank">manufacturers</a><span> access to otherwise closed domestic markets. It only provides an opening, and does not provide any protection or price preference. The notification states explicitly that technically qualified domestic manufacturers are eligible only if they match the lowest bid; if there are no qualified local manufacturers, or if qualified vendors don't match the lowest bid, entire orders may be awarded to the lowest-priced vendor/s (from abroad). Perhaps there is some confusion arising from the nomenclature, as "PMA" usually refers to international vendor access to domestic markets. The notion that the PMA is protectionist and shields domestic suppliers from competition is incorrect.</span></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Deferring PMA to Assess Domestic Capabilities</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>The government's deferral of the PMA pending assessment of domestic manufacturing capabilities appears unreasonable, as there are already qualified manufacturers in India, several of them transnationals, producing high-tech products for global markets. The top 10 global fabless design companies and the top 25 semiconductor companies operate in India. In 2010, revenues were estimated at $7.5 billion, and in 2012, over $10 billion. India is reportedly among the top countries for fabless design skills, and has the critical ingredients for the growth of fabless companies as start-ups slow in the West: design service companies, design engineering expertise and innovation, returning entrepreneurs, and educational facilities. What they need for scale is local market access, equity funding, good logistics, and effective infrastructure. These are the areas where the government can facilitate matters. Deferring access to local companies at a time of rapid growth in networks will entrench foreign products, providing them with an undue advantage against local producers. Instead, we should be capitalising on our domestic strengths.</span></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Closed Circle of Buyers & Sellers</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In high-technology procurement, large international vendors, of whom there are relatively few, form long-term relationships with the relatively few large buyers in oligopolistic markets in telecommunications or electricity. This holds whether the buyers are government entities, state-owned enterprises, or private sector companies. Often, the international vendors have strong home government support. This is why domestic manufacturers need mandatory access to break into a closed circle. There is no ambiguity in this, nor is it protectionist, and there are no price preferences - in contrast to the 15 per cent allowed by the World Bank, or 10 per cent for minority-owned businesses in the United States.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Markets & Demand</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span><span>Of the many reasons for developing electronics manufacturing capabilities in India, a compelling one is our level of demand for electronics. A task force comprising government and industry participants estimated in 2009 that demand in 2009-10 was around $45 billion, going up to $70 billion in 2012, and projected at $400 billion by 2020 (see chart), with government's share being 40 per cent.</span></span></p>
<table class="listing">
<tbody>
<tr>
<th><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/DemandsupplyGap.png/@@images/2275708f-a7fb-4507-8324-fa4871d393bf.png" alt="Demand-Supply in Electronics Industry" class="image-inline" title="Demand-Supply in Electronics Industry" /><br /></th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: right; ">Source: <a href="http://deity.gov.in/hindi/sites/upload_files/dithindi/files/Task_Force_Report-new_21211.pdf">http://deity.gov.in/hindi/sites/upload_files/dithindi/files/Task_Force_Report-new_21211.pdf</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>Domestic production was at $20 billion in the financial year 2009 while imports were $25 billion, projected to rise to over $300 billion by 2020 if domestic production maintained its trend to reach $104 billion. However, with appropriate policies including the PMA for local manufacturers, in the best case, domestic electronics manufacturing was estimated to increase to over $300 billion. If this could be achieved, India's electronics imports would amount to about $100 billion. Without it, imports of $300 billion may be needed, exceeding even estimated oil imports.</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Security Screening/Auditing of Imports</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>High-security applications in the US, Japan, Israel and China are procured from trusted domestic manufacturers. The US Congress monitors high-tech imports for strategic reasons. The UK is conducting an investigation into whether its broadband networks have been compromised by foreign suppliers, although malware is very difficult to detect, and can be downloaded after security audits. High-tech supplies need to be from trusted sources.</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Domestic Producers vs Other Lobbies</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>In effect, it would seem that the operators and foreign vendors have railroaded the government into perpetuating the <i>status quo</i> of foreign-dominated electronics suppliers in India. Facilitating access to local markets for domestic manufacturers is the kind of support that many governments provide. Take the case of the "Buy American" provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Recovery Act funds used for the construction, alteration, maintenance or repair of public buildings and public works must procure all iron, steel and manufactured goods produced only in the US, with a price preference of 25 per cent. The exceptions are non-availability, prices of over 25 per cent, or where applying the provisions is against the public interest. The objectives were to save and create jobs, to give relief to those affected by the recession, and to invest in infrastructure, education, health and renewable energy. The estimated cost is $831 billion between 2009 and 2019.</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify; ">Remedial Action</h3>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><span>What's needed is for the government to take unequivocal action without delay on enabling policies for domestic high-tech producers. The sooner this is done, and the more sustained support that is provided, the better. Too many confused signals are being sent out on investments.</span></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-august-1-2013-domestic-high-tech-manufacturing-needs-access-to-markets'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/organizing-india-blogspot-shyam-ponappa-august-1-2013-domestic-high-tech-manufacturing-needs-access-to-markets</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2013-09-03T07:32:45ZBlog EntryBottled-Up National Assets
https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/shyam-ponappa-business-standard-february-3-2016-bottled-up-national-assets
<b>Apply electronic toll collection systems to roads, and adapt road network concepts in organizing and managing communications networks.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The article was published in the <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/shyam-ponappa-bottled-up-national-assets-116020301314_1.html">Business Standard </a>on February 3, 2016 and also mirrored on <a class="external-link" href="http://organizing-india.blogspot.in/2016/02/bottled-up-national-assets.html">Organizing India BlogSpot </a>on February 4, 2016.</p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The productivity bottled up in assets in this country is mind boggling. The catch is that to be unleashed, the systems in which these assets are embedded must function effectively.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Take the road network. A study of Delhi-Mumbai truck traffic by Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) and Transport Corporation of India in 2012 reported an average speed of just over 21 km per hour. Of 18 stops, 16 were to pay tolls manually with average delays of 10 minutes, constituting 80 per cent of total stoppage time. The study estimated that delays cost the economy Rs 27,000 crore ($5.5 billion at the time), with the additional fuel consumption estimated at Rs 60,000 crore ($12 billion at the time).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The Indian Highways Management Company Limited, set up in 2012, was tasked with implementing electronic toll collection (ETC) systems. It began with ICICI Bank, then added Axis Bank. ETC was introduced on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway in 2014. A dedicated ETC lane across the country was to have been completed by 2014, then 2015; perhaps it will be ready in some months. But, for full efficiency gains, the entire traffic flow needs ETC, not just a small segment. Also, anomalies such as the unwillingness of sections of the populace to pay tolls, or for political parties to exploit these tendencies, will need to be "sorted out". In effect, similar criteria will operate as in electricity distribution networks: Users must either pay for services - directly or with the help of subsidies, or forego infrastructure services of reasonable quality. If there is no enforcement of rules (quality service-supply and payment-collection), there will be a shoddy mess.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The underlying expressways already exist, but installing these systems require effort and investment. Imagine the productivity gains and reduced pollution if vehicles going through over 370 toll plazas in India don't have to stop, wait for 10 minutes on average to pay tolls, then accelerate back to cruising speed.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Inter-City Road Network Organisation</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">An important feature of the way road networks are organised and managed is the concept of common-pool resources, i.e., all public roads that do not require special tolls are part of a common pool, and are accessible to anyone who pays road taxes for the vehicle used. Another strength is that controlled-access roads with tolls connect to the rest of the road network. (There are negative aspects such as state registration, whereby states collect high fees for re-registering a vehicle on a change of domicile, but our focus here is on strengths).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Extending Similar Concepts to Communications</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Now consider the infrastructure network of the communications system. Why don't we apply these beneficial aspects of operating our roads, namely, common-pool resources with access charges, to communications? There are several reasons, since transportation and communications have evolved in different ways. While they are customarily treated differently, these legacy issues can be resolved.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In communications, spectrum bands were separated into one lot for broadcasting and another for telecommunications, which began with voice and now extends to data. Concerns about anticompetitive dominance in the US led to spectrum auctions in the 1990s, initially to prevent concentration of power in the hands of press barons-cum-broadcasters. The emphasis changed, however, to embellishing government treasuries, barring exceptions as in the public-spirited Nordic countries, Japan,1 and China. In India, events following the 2G scam and a war-of-attrition death spiral in politics have resulted in a paroxysm of righteous inability to take a long-term view, which is a prerequisite for making constructive policy choices. But, as the economy stalls and dark days loom, perhaps the political and administrative leaders will muster the courage to understand our predicament and find a way to get off the beaten track leading to a morass.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">We have economic uncertainty, a burgeoning working-age population that could either contribute to supply-and-demand or to disorder, high interest rates, and a heavily over-leveraged communications sector. The indebtedness is aggravated by previous spectrum auctions and constrained reach. Inadequate connectivity limits not only opportunity, but service provision and revenue potential.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The sector's urgent need is for more spectrum at less cost. More countries are pooling communications infrastructure including spectrum. Australia, Denmark, Spain, the UK, Sweden, and latterly, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have different levels of shared infrastructure including spectrum (see chart below).2 Mexico is deploying a countrywide wholesale network using 700 MHz (megahertz). In India, restrictive regulations hinder effective spectrum sharing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/c1.jpg/@@images/951e15b4-a9cd-4e31-bdbc-565c5ad1d546.jpeg" alt="c1" class="image-inline" title="c1" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">“In Latin America passive sharing has been the preferred approach, with Tower Cos. playing a key role…”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; "><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/c2.jpg/@@images/0c186bb2-d206-4cca-82da-f08488fd8a59.jpeg" alt="c2" class="image-inline" title="c2" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left; "><span>Source: </span><span>Daniel Leza-TMGTelecom-12 March 2014: </span><a href="https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regulatory-Market/Documents/CostaRica/Presentations/Session8_Daniel%20Leza%20-%20Mobile%20Infrastructure%20Sharing%20-%2012%20March%202014.pdf"><span>https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regulatory-Market/Documents/CostaRica/Presentations/Session8_Daniel%20Leza%20-%20Mobile%20Infrastructure%20Sharing%20-%2012%20March%202014.pdf</span></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Studies by Columbia University and the Indian Institute of Science affirm that pooling infrastructure can maximise total returns as well as for individual operators, while users gain enormous benefits.3,4 The studies' apprehensions, regarding trust, willingness to cooperate, and transparency, would not arise if there were mandated pooling through consortiums of operators and the government, and charges based on metering.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">A change in regulations alone could mandate that all existing spectrum and networks be freely shared for roaming, depending on capacity and efficiency. Second, unused spectrum, for example, in the 500-800 MHz band, could be made available for secondary sharing to operators paying for metered use. Shared control in consortiums, including the government, would ensure transparency. Similarly, government spectrum could be secondarily shared. Tax collections would increase with additional revenues, as they did dramatically after 2003, when reasonable revenue-sharing rates were introduced for licence fees. USO funds could subsidise rural delivery where necessary for ubiquitous access.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">Instead, if we continue with auctions, the 700 MHz band where range and penetration could reduce costs by 70 per cent may remain untouched, because a countrywide five MHz block could cost Rs 55,000 crore, almost a third of industry revenues.</p>
<hr />
<ol>
<li>"Spectrum Auction Strategy - Canada vs Japan", Lars Cosh-Ishii, August 7, 2013: <a href="http://wirelesswatch.jp/2013/08/07/spectrum-auction-strategy-canada-vs-japan/" target="_blank">http://wirelesswatch.jp/2013/08/07/spectrum-auction-strategy-canada-vs-japan/</a>; <span>[Added later: <span>Japan telecommunications market, February 2016</span></span><br /><span><span><a href="http://www.eurotechnology.com/insights/telecom/">http://www.eurotechnology.com/insights/telecom/</a>]</span></span></li>
<li><span><span>"Mobile Infrastructure Sharing": <a href="https://www.itu.int/en%20/ITU-D/Regulatory-Market/Documents/CostaRica/%20Presentations/Session8_Daniel%20Leza%20-%20Mobile%20Infrastructure%20Sharing%20-%2012%20March%202014.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.itu.int/en /ITU-D/Regulatory-Market/Documents/CostaRica/ Presentations/Session8_Daniel Leza - Mobile Infrastructure Sharing - 12 March 2014.pdf</a></span></span></li>
<li><span><span>"A coalitional game model for spectrum pooling in wireless data access networks", Saswati Sarkar, Chandramani Singh, Anurag Kumar, 2008: <a href="http://repository.upenn.edu/ese%20_papers%20/490" target="_blank">http://repository.upenn.edu/ese _papers /490</a></span></span></li>
<li><span><span>"Cooperative Profit Sharing in Coalition Based Resource Allocation in Wireless Networks", Chandramani Singh, Saswati Sarkar, Alireza Aram, Anurag Kumar, 2012: <a href="http://www.ece.iisc.ernet.in/Rs%20anurag/papers/anurag/singh-etal11cooperative-resource-allocation.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.ece.iisc.ernet.in/Rs anurag/papers/anurag/singh-etal11cooperative-resource-allocation.pdf</a><br /><br /></span></span></li>
</ol>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/shyam-ponappa-business-standard-february-3-2016-bottled-up-national-assets'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/shyam-ponappa-business-standard-february-3-2016-bottled-up-national-assets</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2016-03-02T02:21:37ZBlog EntryBig-Bang Budgets?
https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/big-bang-budgets
<b>Clarity of planning and conceptualisation needs to be the hallmark of policy planning for the Budget, says Shyam Ponappa in this article published in the Business Standard on March 3, 2011.
</b>
<p>A good holding action in the face of turbulence is a real achievement. It’s a tremendous relief, with a positive spin. That’s what the finance minister seems to have given us with this year’s Budget. So, the glass could well turn out to be half-full, if heaven plays its part, and the demons — for example, rising oil prices because of turmoil in the Arab world — are in abeyance. For now, India’s spirits are up, and we have a shot at getting on with it. And if we don’t, heaven forefend, the government could resort to something as irresponsible as another spectrum auction (2.5 GHz for 4G/LTE) to pull itself out of the morass.</p>
<p>Given this reprieve, how best can we capitalise on it? Some of us have this notion that it is a tradition that major projects or schemes are announced at the time of the Budget. Is this a good way for the government to proceed? Are there better ways, and if so, what might they be? Also, after the Budget, several opinions reflected disappointment with the lack of big moves. What sort of actions would deserve the “Big Move” label?</p>
<p>Ignoring for the time being the FM’s statements about bills for banking, insurance and pension funds that could add up to a big bang, there was in fact a Big Move, with the ground prepared well beforehand, as it should be: the proposed cash transfer of Rs 37,000 crore allocated for kerosene, LPG and fertilisers to BPL users. This move to cash transfers will be a major change that should be for the better, despite apparent misgivings from the Left. In fact, its effect should be much more than an equivalent allocation in the previous system, with its infamous leakages. The logical extension of this process would be smart-card purchases of specified products with designated limits from any retailer, with direct rebates from the government in a single transaction. No forms, no fuss, thanks to the Unique Identification Number (UID). Next could be food subsidies of over Rs 74,000 crore through smart cards.</p>
<p>In this time of drift over several years, there has been an apparent lack of visible leadership until the appointment of a new telecom minister after the destabilisation of the past few months. This was followed by the prime minister’s assertive statements in both houses of Parliament. Similarly, the UID thrust and the first step with cash transfers show that the government can indeed take well planned initiatives. Here we have a set of steps taken with clear objectives (although somewhat muddled in the telling), with plans being developed and executed with what we hope will manifest as high quality, on time and within Budget. So it’s possible, although not our usual practice. If only we could get more of this assertive leadership to good ends.</p>
<p>Imagine if we brought the same clarity of objectives and conceptualisation to, say, addressing the supply of energy to end users. True, this is a very difficult area because of the multiple challenges across several ministries/agencies (fuel production and distribution, transportation, power generation, transmission, distribution, pricing, state electricity boards), and our habitual malpractices as users. The approach, however, would presumably be the same as for the UID. We would start with clear objectives that are coherent, ie, not disjointed or contradictory, and undertake a systematic, multidisciplinary effort — no ivory tower geniuses — to plan and execute through a process of sound project management to achieve the desired results. This would be an end-to-end effort that would have little to do with the budget except for the annual announcement of financial allocations, once the activities and resource requirements are specified. Its fundamental characteristic would be that it would have to be an integrated systems approach to get results.</p>
<p>Most important are well planned, convergent, goal-directed activities. Whether for food storage, anganwadis, power, roads, railways, integrated energy and transport programs, or communications and broadband, the process flow needs to be defined thoroughly, and every aspect specified for our environment in the implementation plan. This process would improve the odds of achieving the objectives. For instance, if cold stores are not meshed with production and markets, or transport linkages are deficient, chances are that they will fail.</p>
<p>The process could begin at any time of the year, and not necessarily announced at budget time in the annual cycle. Once the initial approach is conceptualised and the initiative launched, the programme plans would be scoped and spelt out, and the budget estimation completed. At budget time, as with the cash transfers linked to the UID, there would be an allocation of funds for the activities in the next 12-month phase.</p>
<p>Now to the Railway budget: the much touted Railways desperately need rehabilitation. In view of the significant multiplier effect that the Railways have on many other sectors, the government really must reassert its leadership in the next couple of months (after the West Bengal elections?), and reclaim this crucial area of transportation. The urgent need is to reverse the atrophy over recent years, as well as to begin to build for the future, as for instance China has done, with trains that take passengers over 1,000 km in three hours.*</p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><img src="https://cis-india.org/home-images/TrainBulletTraininChinaNYTFeb22011.jpg/image_preview" title="Train bullet" height="209" width="400" alt="Train bullet" class="image-inline image-inline" /></p>
<p>To conclude, it is time the government took one infrastructure sector or programme at a time, including education/vocational education/continuing education, and developed clear, goal-driven plans to provide the framework for the next budget session.</p>
<p>* 'China Sees Growth Engine in a Web of Fast Trains', Keith Bradsher, New York Times, February 12, 2010:</p>
<p>Read the original article in the Business Standard <a class="external-link" href="http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ltbgtshyam-ponappaltbgt-big-bang-budgets/427056/">here</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/big-bang-budgets'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/blog/big-bang-budgets</a>
</p>
No publisherShyam PonappaTelecom2012-07-26T10:10:21ZBlog EntryBIF Workshop on V Band-New Use Cases under 802.11ad &.11ay
https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/bif-workshop-on-v-band-new-use-cases-under-802-11ad.11ay
<b>The workshop organized by Broadband India was held on May 31, 2018 at Taj Mansingh (Long Champ) in New Delhi. Shyam Ponappa attended the workshop.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">In view of the need to extend broadband connectivity everywhere and take it to unserved and underserved areas, V band (60Ghz) has a very crucial role to play . In view of the need for more clarity on the subject of V Band allocation in India and in view of the fact that new use cases are emerging since the TRAI Recommendations were made in 2015, Broadband India organized a half day workshop.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The workshop focused on engaging the technology companies that are building different use cases (including Fixed wireless access, Mobile backhaul, Short Range Devices-SRD ) and the telecom partners/operators who will be the main deployers of this technology.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The primary objective of the workshop was to bring into perspective the TRAI Recommendations of 2015 and discuss new use cases of the “V Band – New Use Cases Under 802.11ad and 802.11ay” standards.</p>
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For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/bif-workshop-on-v-band-new-use-cases-under-802-11ad.11ay'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/bif-workshop-on-v-band-new-use-cases-under-802-11ad.11ay</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminTelecom2018-06-01T00:13:52ZNews ItemBIF conference on “Substitutability of OTT Services with Telecom Services & Regulation of OTT Services
https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/bif-conference-on-201csubstitutability-of-ott-services-with-telecom-services-regulation-of-ott-services
<b>Anubha Sinha was a panellist at a BIF conference on “Substitutability of OTT Services with Telecom Services & Regulation of OTT Services” organized by Broadband India Forum on April 5, 2019 at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road, New Delhi.</b>
<p style="text-align: justify; ">The event was supported by the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Govt. of India, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Govt. of India, NITI Aayog, and Department of Science and Technology. <a class="external-link" href="http://cis-india.org/telecom/files/ott-services">Click to view the agenda</a>.</p>
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For more details visit <a href='https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/bif-conference-on-201csubstitutability-of-ott-services-with-telecom-services-regulation-of-ott-services'>https://cis-india.org/telecom/news/bif-conference-on-201csubstitutability-of-ott-services-with-telecom-services-regulation-of-ott-services</a>
</p>
No publisherAdminBroadbandTelecom2019-04-12T00:52:07ZNews Item